by Oliver Optic
IX
NORA'S WORK--AND POLLY
When Nora visited the Mansion, every one was delighted. Nellie's facenaturally beamed at sight of her, for didn't Miss Nora belong to hermore than to any one else? But all the others were fond of the bright,cheery young girl who not only remembered the name of each one, but hadsome directly personal question to ask. She could ask about their auntsand uncles and cousins, as well as about their nearer relatives by name,and this meant a good deal to these younger girls, who, although happyat the Mansion, remembered sometimes that they were among strangers, andwere glad of any word that connected them with their own homes.
Nora was an outside worker, and very proud that her last year's lessonsin a normal cooking class had fitted her to give regular lessons to agroup of the Mansion girls.
"'A penny saved is a penny earned,'" she had said gayly, when she madethe offer of her services; "and if you will hear me conduct one class,and then take a good, long look at my certificate, you will decide, I amsure,--or rather I hope,--to let me belong to the staff."
Of course Miss South was only too happy, and she knew Nora's mentalqualities so well as to believe that she would make a good teacher; norwas she disappointed after she had heard her conduct a class.
"I really begin to feel as if I were of some use in the world," Norasaid, after her first lesson; while Miss South remonstrated, "Why, Nora,you always have been one of the most useful girls of my acquaintance.You are always busy at home, and so helpful to your brothers, and--"
"Oh, in the ordinary relations of life it would be very strange if Ishould not do what I can. But every one should reach out a little beyondher immediate circle; don't you think so?"
"Yes, indeed, I do think so, Nora; but for this reaching out, the workof the world could not be carried on, and I am more than happy when Isee so young a girl ready to do her part."
Now Nora's disposition, as Miss South had said, had always been one ofhelpfulness to others. With less money to spend than most of herintimate friends, she had managed to enjoy life thoroughly, and she hadbeen a most devoted sister and daughter.
Her brothers would confide their difficulties to her more readilysometimes than to their mother, although Mrs. Gostar was herself a mostsympathetic person, and Nora was friend and adviser to half a dozenyouths of Toby's classmates in College.
Yet in spite of her many home duties she found time for much outsidework. She had a Sunday-school class of boys whose doings were a constantsurprise and almost as constant an occupation for her. Sometimes theirvagaries carried her even into the Police Court, where she was ready,if necessary, to say a good word for some boy brought up for a pettyoffence. When her brothers teased her about her burglar and highwaymanproteges, she took their teasing in good part, and replied that as yetnone of them had done anything bad enough to require her to give heavybonds. "Which is fortunate, considering that I am not a large owner ofreal estate."
"But how much of your pocket-money goes in fines or in cab-hire when youare called out in sudden emergencies?" whereat Nora blushed to a degreesufficient to show that Toby had hit somewhere near the truth; forNora's Sunday-school class, though not in a mission, was yet made up ofboys who were remarkably free from a sense of responsibility, and it wasthis sense of responsibility that Nora tried to impress upon them; andto assure them of her interest, she did all that she could for them intheir every-day life, and not infrequently was to be met with some ofthem escorting her even on one of the fashionable thoroughfares. Noradid not flinch at the smiles that some of her friends bestowed on herwhen they met her with her cavaliers.
Yet her interest in these boys did not prevent her having as great aninterest in the girls at the Mansion, and in many a little emergency shewas the right-hand helper of Julia and Miss South. It was Nora, too, whokept up the most active communication with Mrs. Rosa and the Rosachildren at Shiloh. Manuel, indeed, was her especial pride, although shepersisted that she was not entitled to all the praise that the familylavished on her for having rescued him years before from being run over.Angelina's sister was not as self-sufficient as she, and was only tooglad to look up to Miss Gostar for advice and praise. Moreover, Noragave perhaps a little less time than the others to the work at theMansion, because she was especially interested in a Boys' Club. Some ofher Sunday-school boys were in it, though a few of the club thoughtthemselves too old for Sunday school. What Nora managed to accomplish inthe course of a week was always a wonder to her friends, who with fewerhome duties still seldom had time for outside work. Though her two elderbrothers had gone from home, one to the West and one to New York, Tobyand Stanley made constant demands upon her. "They not only expect me,"she said, laughing, "to see that their buttons and gloves are in order,but wish me to be at home whenever they have invited any special friendsto the house, and at pretty frequent intervals they expect me to asksome girl or another in whom they have a special interest. But they arevery good to me, too," she would conclude, "and without one or the otherof them to escort me where I wish to go, I do not see what I should do.I'd even have to stay away from the Mansion sometimes."
The class in invalid cookery proved a great success, and Miss South, asshe tasted one after another of the savory little dishes offered her bythe proud cooks, said that she almost wished that she might be illenough to have these jellies and broths recommended to her for a steadydiet.
Gretchen, to whom she said this, seemed greatly amused by the idea, andsmiled and smiled, and finally broke into a loud laugh.
"Would you really like to be sick in your bed," she asked, "just so'syou could eat my jelly?" And then Miss South repeated her praise ofGretchen's work.
"By and by," continued Miss South, "you may wish to have an exhibitionof your work, and before spring I am sure you will probably have learnedto make several new things."
"Oh, yes, indeed," and Gretchen's face beamed with delight, for itreally was her wish to excel in cooking, and the progress that she hadmade was one of the things that so pleased her grandfather, that he waslikely to consent to her staying a second year. As to Gretchen herself,she was now quite determined to be a cook when she should be older, andJulia had made plans to send her to a regular cooking school at the endof a year. Her grandfather had said that he would gladly pay the cost oftuition, if Julia and the others would help in some other ways. The oldman had several persons dependent on him, and it was his constantanxiety lest Gretchen should be left unable to earn a living when heshould be taken away.
Though it was clear what Gretchen's future occupation should be, it wasless easy for Miss South and her staff to decide about the others.Concetta's one talent for fine needlework seemed to imply that she wasintended to be a seamstress, and the aim of those interested should beto train her, that her work might place her in a good position. As tothe others, it was too early to decide what they should do or be.
Prompted by a spirit of mischief, one evening when Mrs. Blair asked her,Julia replied:
"How can I tell just what we are training them for? One or two are veryfond of music, Inez is devoted to art, Angelina is sure that she wouldlove to travel, and Gretchen is the only one who seems a born cook."
"But you don't mean that you would let all these girls follow their owntastes? Please pardon me for saying it, Julia. But I fear that you willnot have the sympathy of--yes, of your friends, unless you turn allthese girls into first-rate domestics. When you think how much needthere is of good servants--really it is the most pressing problem."
"I wish that I could help solve it," Julia replied gravely; "and if Ican, you may be sure that I will. The girls at the Mansion havecertainly a greater love for all kinds of household duties than they hadsix months ago, and every one of them could be very useful in her ownhome or any other. But they are too young yet to decide on the futureprofession, just as I am sure that you would consider it too early forthe average schoolgirl to decide her whole future life when she is onlyfifteen."
"Oh, but this is different; you have the chance of infl
uencing thesegirls, and really it is your duty, when you consider the servantquestion--" and so _ad infinitum_; and, indeed, others of Julia'sfriends would continue the discussion. Usually Julia turned allcriticism aside with a smiling and indefinite reply, although at timesshe would say, "Ah, I hope that I shall always be found ready to do whatis best for each girl."
Casual criticisms like this from those who did not really understand heraim did not greatly disturb Julia. They were more than balanced by thecordial appreciation of her aunt and Mrs. Gostar, and others who knewwhat she was really striving for. Then at intervals--though rather longintervals--she had a cheering word or two from Ruth, who, in spite ofbeing on a protracted wedding tour in extremely interesting countries,evidently kept her thoughts constantly in touch with her Boston friends."Of course I mean to be part of your experiment when I return home, andI mean to work like a Trojan to make up for my absence this year. Also,as I have written you before, I am collecting all kinds of weirdreceipts that I mean to have your poor little victims--for I am surethey call themselves victims--fed on next season."
One afternoon, after a rather hard morning in which everything hadhappened just as it should not, Julia heard a tap at her study door.
When she answered it Angelina ushered in--but no, Angelina had nothingto do with it--a flying figure flung itself upon Julia, and before itsarms had been removed from her neck she recognized the soft accents ofPolly Porson.
"It seems like I hadn't seen you for a century, although now that I dosee you, you look as natural as life, and not a bit as if you wereweighed down by the care of a hundred girls, such as I hear you havetaken under your wing."
"Not a quarter nor an eighth of a hundred; but where in the world haveyou dropped from, Polly Porson? Have you come North, as you used tothreaten, to buy a trousseau, or is your novel ready to offer to apublisher?"
At which confusing double question the usually nonchalant Polly blushedso exceedingly that Julia knew which part of the question had beenanswered.
"Who is he?" she asked so pointedly, that Polly, nothing loath, sat downto tell the story. She had sprained her ankle, it seemed, early in theautumn. "Why, I am sure I wrote you about it," she added, when Juliaexpressed her surprise, "and I'm sure that I told you about the doctor;didn't I say a great deal about him?"
"Well, perhaps you did, but I was so unsuspicious that I did not attachmuch importance to what you said, or I thought what you wrote was inmere appreciation for his skill. Besides, I begin to remember that youtold me that he was a cousin, and one whom you especially disliked,though you believed that he had saved you from being permanently lame."
"Well, he is a cousin, as cousins go in the South, several degreesremoved; and he was perfectly disagreeable at first because I had goneto College; but I've brought him round, so that he has made his ownyounger sister begin her preparation for Radcliffe."
"So in gratitude to him you are going to give up all your plans forindependence and fame. Alas, poor Polly!"
"Oh, no, indeed; he says that I may write novels or do anything I like.You never saw such a changed man. I just wish that you had known him ayear ago, so that you could mark the improvement."
Thus Polly rattled on, and yet, as in their College days, there was anundercurrent of wisdom in all that she said.
"To tell the truth," she explained, "one thing I came for was to seejust how your experiment is working, for I have an idea that I shall beable to do something of the same kind in Atlanta--in a very small way,"she added hastily, "not at all in this magnificent style; but it's verymuch needed, and I have some original ideas to combine with yours."
So Polly spent several days at the Mansion, learning, and teaching too;for her words of encouragement taught Julia that she had been undulydiscouraged by various things outside, as well as by a certain amount offriction among her protegees. Polly's visit drew her away from hercares.
One evening Julia arranged a reunion of all the members of the classthat she could collect at short notice, and though there were many gapsin the ranks, it was altogether a delightful evening, and each onepresent told all that she could, not only about herself, but about theabsent.
All too soon Polly flew away, and though she protested that her shoppingin New York was not to be regarded as preparation for a trousseau, Juliawas sure that when the two should meet again there would be no longer aPolly Porson. "Not that your new name will not be just as becoming asthe old one," she added, as they said their last words, "but for someselfish reason I do wish that I could have Polly Porson stay PollyPorson a few years longer."
"Nonsense!" cried Polly, as she bade her good-bye.